Frank Fontaine | |
|---|---|
 Fontaine in 1971 | |
| Born | (1920-04-19)April 19, 1920 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | August 4, 1978(1978-08-04) (aged 58) Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1940s–1975 |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 11[2] |
Frank Fontaine (April 19, 1920 – August 4, 1978) was an American stage, radio, film and television comedian, singer, and actor.
Born and raised inCambridge, Massachusetts, Fontaine came from a family of entertainers. His father, Ray Fontaine, of French-Canadian descent, was a popular vocalist whose career in Canada resulted in his being compared toBing Crosby.[3] His mother, Anna McCarthy, of Irish and Scottish descent, performed as a dancer, and he had a brother who also became a singer. Fontaine left school and married Alma Clair Wakeham, his high school sweetheart, on April 17, 1937, at age sixteen, two days before his 17th birthday. Later, they moved toMedford.[citation needed]
Fontaine went right to work as an all‐purpose singer‐dancer‐comedian in Boston-area supper clubs. After Pearl Harbor, he spent three years in the Army.[4][5]
Known as a family man, Fontaine was devoted to his wife and children. He would rearrange his schedule so that he was never away from them for too long.[6] In addition, he was well known for the size of his family, as Alma and he had two daughters and nine sons, born between 1939 and 1959.[7]
Fontaine is best known for his appearances ontelevision shows of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, includingThe Jack Benny Program,The Jackie Gleason Show,The Tonight Show, andThe Ed Sullivan Show. "Sullivan first introduced me on a nationwide scale. This was back in 1948, when he inaugurated hisToast of the Town. He put me on his first three shows, as a comic and a guy who did imitations -- that's what I did mostly, back then -- and after every show he would say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, this fellow ought to be in pictures.' Well, first thing you know, I was out in Hollywood. I made 12 pictures, believe it or not."[8]
Fontaine was featured on the radio version ofThe Jack Benny Program. During an episode which aired on April 9, 1950, Fontaine played a bum named "John L.C. Sivoney" who asked Benny for a dime for a cup of coffee. The smallest coin Benny had to offer was a fifty-cent piece, so he gave it to him. The story Benny told about this event became a running gag during later shows. Fontaine's goofball laugh and other vocal mannerisms made a hit with the audience, and Benny brought him back for several more radio shows between 1950 and 1952. He also later appeared on four of Jack Benny's television shows between 1951 and 1961.[citation needed]
In 1952, Fontaine starred inThe Frank Fontaine Show, a weekly variety program on CBS radio.[9] The program featured four other members of Fontaine's family in addition to singerHelen O'Connell and announcerHarry von Zell.[10] He also was heard regularly onThe Bob Hope Show on radio.[9]: 47-48 On television he costarred withPatti Page onThe Scott Music Hall (sponsored by the Scott Paper Company), which made its debut on October 8, 1952.[11]
Fontaine was hired by TV producer Ben Frye to be the master of ceremonies of his new seriesShowtime (1955). Frye owned theSnader Telescriptions library of three-minute musicals filmed for television, and wanted to edit them into half-hour programs. Unlike Fontaine's usual comic characterization with floppy hat, baggy suit, and goofy voice, Fontaine appeared onShowtime in a standard business suit with no comic accessories or makeup. Fontaine's role was to stand in front of a theater curtain, offer a comic monologue, and then introduce each filmed performance as though the artists were taking the stage in person.[12] The show went intofirst-run syndication in mid-1955; it made its debut onKTTV in Los Angeles on June 3, 1955.[13]
In 1956 CBS hired Fontaine as the resident comic on the weekday-morning (7:00 a.m.) network showGood Morning, with hostWill Rogers, Jr.[14]
In 1962, comedianJackie Gleason invited Fontaine to appear on Gleason's weeklyAmerican Scene Magazine series onCBS-TV. Fontaine recalled, "Just last year [1962] the phone call came from the executive producer of Jackie's new show. He said, 'Art Carney's going into a play and Jackie needs someone else to work with.' I said, 'I don't think I'd be much good. We look too much alike. I mean, two fat guys like us working together.' Finally, one night in Chicago, I got the call from Jackie and he said, 'Come on, pal, you're on the show. And I'm not gonna take no for an answer.' And that's how it all began."[8] Fontaine used the same comic character familiar from the Jack Benny radio show, complete with bug-eyed grin, goofy voice, and silly laugh. The character was now named "Crazy Guggenheim"[15] and appeared during Gleason's "Joe the Bartender" sketches. At the end of each conversation between Fontaine and Gleason, "Craze" would usually sing a sentimental song in Fontaine's natural voice, demonstrating a surprisingly strong baritone. "One day in my dressing room, I began to sing something and Jackie Gleason over in the next room called out: 'That's great, pal. You're gonna sing on the show next week!' And that's howthat all started."[16] Frank Fontaine became a fixture on the Gleason hour, and when Gleason moved the production from New York to Florida in 1964, Fontaine followed him. Fontaine made 88American Scene Magazine appearances between 1962 and when the series ended in 1966.[citation needed]
Frank Fontaine's character voice was easily recognizable and inspired a host of imitations.Stan Freberg's voice characterization for Pete Puma, a would-be nemesis forBugs Bunny in the 1952 cartoon shortRabbit's Kin, was based on Fontaine's character voice, along withDaws Butler's voice for Sam the Cat in theSylvester cartoonsTrick or Tweet in 1958 andMouse and Garden in 1960.[17] ActorLennie Weinrib imitated the "Crazy Guggenheim" character onThe Dick Van Dyke Show episode "The Sam Pomerantz Scandals" (1963).Muppet performerJerry Nelson based the voice of one of his characters, Lew Zealand, off of Fontaine's "Crazy Guggenheim" voice.
Fontaine received mention in satiristTom Lehrer's 1965 song "National Brotherhood Week", from the albumThat Was the Year That Was.[citation needed] In the live show, Lehrer mentionedNational Make-Fun-of-the-Handicapped Week, "Which Frank Fontaine andJerry Lewis are in charge of, as you know". He was credited inBobby Rydell andChubby Checker's song "Jingle Bells Imitations", which was the flip side of their "Jingle Bell Rock" record.[citation needed]
Fontaine continued to reside in his home state of Massachusetts, and appeared in nightclubs and on television. During the late 1960s and into the '70s, he toured children's hospitals to spread cheer among juvenile patients. Children had always enjoyed seeing Crazy on television, so Fontaine visited the bedridden children in full costume as Crazy. He found, to his dismay, that it was much more difficult to entertain youngsters in person. When he asked young patients to call him Crazy, the patients took him literally and were afraid to insult him. Their frightened reactions troubled Fontaine, who stopped using the "Crazy" name and now called himself "Happy Guggenheim".[18]
In early August 1978, Fontaine was inSpokane, Washington, to perform at theEagles International convention,[19] headlining its Vaudeville Night withArthur Godfrey andCorbett Monica at theOpera House on Friday, August 4, and was scheduled to lead the parade through the city the following afternoon as grand marshal.[20] He had just completed a live stage benefit show, having accepted a check for $25,000 which he planned to donate for heart research, when he collapsed and died of aheart attack at age 58.[21][22]
Fontaine's former residence inWinchester, a substantial house on Highland Avenue, is now the home of Winchester Community Music School.[23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Nancy Goes to Rio | Masher | |
| 1950 | Stella | Don | |
| 1950 | Hit Parade of 1951 | John L.C. Sivoney | |
| 1951 | Call Me Mister | Sergeant | |
| 1951 | Here Comes the Groom | Crazy Guggenheim | Uncredited |
| 1951 | The Model and the Marriage Broker | Mr. Hjalmer Johannson | |
| 1953 | Scared Stiff | Drunk on Pier | Uncredited |
| 1975 | The Godmothers | Don Palermo | Final film role |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
